Updated October 5, 2026. Quick answer: No. Montana has no estate tax for a person who dies in 2026. The Montana Department of Revenue says “Montana does not have an estate tax for deaths after 2004”, and that Montana no longer collects estate or inheritance taxes. The federal exclusion is $15,000,000 for 2026.
Putting a loan in writing? The interest limit, the signing rules and the time limit to sue, from the state’s own statutes: Montana promissory note.
Deeding a home to a family member while you are alive? What Montana requires, from its own documents: Montana quitclaim deed requirements.
Naming a beneficiary on a brokerage account or a vehicle title is covered here: transfer-on-death registration in Montana.
Inheriting from, or planning for, someone in this state? Whether the state has an inheritance tax, from its own tax documents: Does Montana have an inheritance tax?.
Montana estate tax at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| State estate tax | None |
| Why | The federal state credit ended after 2004; the Department says Montana has no estate tax for deaths after 2004 |
| State inheritance tax | None: repealed in November 2000 (Legislative Referendum 116) |
| Federal estate tax basic exclusion amount, 2026 | $15,000,000 |
| Source | Montana Department of Revenue; Montana Legislative Fiscal Division; IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 |
Why Montana has no estate tax
The Department’s estate and inheritance tax page says the estate tax is paid by the estate on the gross value of an estate transferred at death, and that if the decedent died before January 1, 2005, the estate may still have a filing requirement.
Does Montana have an inheritance tax?
The Department says “Montana’s inheritance tax was repealed in November 2000”. The Legislative Fiscal Division’s revenue profile explains how: “Due to passage of Legislative Referendum 116 by the electorate” in November 2000, the state inheritance tax was repealed.
CMG’s inheritance tax by state page covers the beneficiary side.
What applies to a Montana estate instead
Federal estate tax is separate. Revenue Procedure 2025-32 says the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, section 70106, increased the “basic exclusion amount to $15,000,000 for calendar year 2026”.
An estate of $3,000,000 in Montana owes $0 of state estate tax, and $3,000,000 is below the federal $15,000,000.
Probate: Montana probate cost. Retirement accounts: how Montana taxes 401(k) and IRA withdrawals.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the estate’s income tax return: the Department notes “fiduciaries of estates may need to file a Montana income tax return” even though there is no estate tax.
- Assuming the state answer settles the federal one, or the answer for property held in another state.
Related: estate tax by state, inheritance tax by state, and probate cost by state.
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Answer againSources
- Montana Estate and Inheritance Tax: https://revenue.mt.gov/taxes/fiduciaries/estate-and-inheritance-tax
- Legislative Fiscal Division Revenue Estimate Profile: Estate Tax: https://archive.legmt.gov/content/publications/fiscal/ba-2015/volumn-2/estate-tax.pdf
- Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (Internal Revenue Service): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 5, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and an estate attorney, a tax preparer or the state agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.